Sage Kashyap married to thirteen daughters of DakshaPrajapati. Kadru and Vinata were prominent among them. Kadru wished many off springs, while Vinata desired few but powerful. Kadru led thousand eggs which hatched in to Snakes such as Shesha, Anant, Vasuki, Takshak etc. Vinata laid two eggs which hatched in to Aruna the Charitor of Surya (Sun God) and Garuda the King of Eagles and mounting of Lord Vishnu.

As a normal tendency, Jealousy erupted between Kadru and Vinata. One day both these sisters saw Uchchaihshravas (Seven Headed Flying White Horse). Kadru said that it was a beautiful horse with black tail. Vinata said no, the tail is totally white. They had a bet. Stakes were the loser to be enslaved to the winner. Eager to win Kadru, ordered ten of her prominent snakes to hide in the tail of the horse so that the tail should appear black. The prominent ten snakes balked her order.

Furious Kadru cursed them fiery death during Snake’s Sacrifice of King Janmejaya. Janmejaya was the son of Parikshit, Grandson of Abhimanyu and great grandsonof Arjuna. All these ten prominent snakes came to Gokarna for salvation. Here they built their own hermitage, a Tirtha Kunda and consecrated a Shivlinga. This is the place where the ten prominent snakes mediated and worshipped Lord Shiva, for age’s together and absolved themselves from the curse of their mother, due to boon from Lord Bramha, Vishnu and Mahesh.